But the World Health Organization said canceling the Rio Games wouldn’t “significantly alter” the worldwide spread of the disease.
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The WHO, however, turned down calls to move the Olympics venue, saying that moving the games would not have a major impact on the spread of Zika.
The virus can also cause adult-onset neurological problems such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome, which can cause paralysis and death.
Several public health academics have warned that having hundreds of thousands of people travel to the August 5-21 games in Brazil will inevitably lead to the births of more brain-damaged babies and speed up the virus’ global spread. It argued that Brazil is only one of dozens of countries where mosquitoes transmit the Zika virus and says “people continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons”. Frieden also noted that WHO is working with USOC and Brazilian health authorities on the Zika virus issue and will update the public health travel advice if necessary.
CDC’s public health travel advice has it that pregnant women should avoid travelling to countries that is affected by Zika outbreak and men that have contracted the virus should avoid having sex with their pregnant partners until delivery.
One of the Friday letter’s authors wasn’t impressed by the United Nations agency’s arguments.
Friday’s letter pointed to the particularly high risks from the Zika virus strain seen in Brazil, which has by far the most Zika cases in the world and the most brain-damaged Zika babies.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee is confident it can minimise the risks.
The Olympics and Paralympics, set for August 5 through September 18, “will take place during Brazil’s wintertime when there are fewer active mosquitoes and the risk of being bitten is lower”, the World Health Organization said this month.
[Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images] In response, the health experts cited an “overly close” relationship between the W.H.O. and International Olympic Committee has muddled the W.H.O.’s ability to make unbiased decisions pertaining to Olympic matters. The last memorandum, it added, “outlined cooperation between the two organizations to promote physical activity to fight strokes, heart attacks, diabetes and obesity”.
The worldwide medical community signed a letter addressed to World Health Organization expressing fears that the Zika virus might spread globally.
The World Health Organization stated that Zika virus will not be as big a concern in the latter Summer months.
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Wilson and Medical Writer Maria Cheng contributed from London.
